Rutina Wesley

Troubled Tara Thornton holds the emotional center of HBO’s smash hit True Blood, which is thanks, in large part, to Rutina Wesley’s nuanced and vulnerable performance. Born in Las Vegas to a showgirl mother and a professional tap dancer father, Wesley was always destined to see her name in lights. Wesley discovered her passion for acting after her first role in a play at the age of seven, “I just loved being on stage,” she admits, “my dad wanted me to be tapping, but I’m a storyteller, I feel like I’m a vessel through which characters come through. There are so many stories out there to be told and you can tell them through dance, through song and through acting; acting gives me a chance to do all of those things at once.” After such an emotionally grueling season, Wesley intends to take it easy before True Blood resumes filming, but you can catch her voice on an upcoming episode of The Cleveland Show, playing Yvette, Donna’s best friend.